The field of the present invention relates to accessories for hand-held mobile devices such as mobile phones and computer tablets. In particular, the field of the present invention relates to an apparatus that assists a user with holding a mobile device that has a front-facing display screen, where the user can hold the device in one hand while leaving the thumb of that hand, as well as the user's other hand, free to operate the mobile device. The present disclosure relates to improvements of the technology described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,300,346, by the same inventor, which is hereby incorporated by reference in this application.
Mobile devices, such as cellular phones or tablets, typically have front facing-facing display screens, which can be a touch-screen. Mobile devices also have a rear-facing back that is positioned on the opposite side of the device from the display screen and toward the palm of the user's hand when a small-format mobile device is held with a typical grip.
The rear-facing back can be smooth or otherwise have a low coefficient of friction that causes the device to be difficult to grip. Alternatively, some mobile devices have a rear-facing back that is textured or coated with a material that improves the user's ability to grip the case (e.g., rubber or leather). Additionally, some mobile device users purchase a secondary case that partially or entirely covers the mobile device's rear-facing back. Such secondary cases can be coated with material or have a shape intended to improve the user's ability to grip the mobile device. However, even with a textured or coated griping surface, many users still find difficulty with gripping the mobile device, particularly when operating the mobile device while performing other tasks.
A wide variety of accessories are available for supporting use of a hand-held device. However, conventional accessories generally rely on rigid designs that are not easily adjustable or customizable to a user's individual hand. An additional drawback of rigid designs is that they do not allow a sufficient amount shear or sway between the mobile device and the holding accessory. A certain amount of shear is required to provide user comfort and the ability to re-position one's grip. Such flexibility between mobile device and holding accessory is also required for a smooth transition from holding the device in portrait orientation to holding it in landscape orientation. For example, to change viewing orientation while using a rigid holding accessory, the user may have to detach from or reposition the accessory with respect to the mobile device.
Other designs incorporate flexibility but lack a balancing component to counteract excessive shear between the mobile device and the holding accessory. Thus, the holding accessory can act in a pendulous manner with respect to the mobile device. The result is a somewhat unstable hold on the mobile device because there is nothing to counteract or balance the shearing forces exerted on the holding accessory by the user's hand, which can allow the mobile device to slip from the user's hand.
Additionally, conventional designs often require custom design or fabrication to fit a particular model of mobile device. Each mobile device model is designed to a different form factor, so for holding accessories to properly couple to a mobile device, they must be custom molded to that form factor, for example to avoid having input and output ports or controls blocked by the holding accessory. Alternatively, the mobile device itself may require customization at the factory to support the holding accessory, but this is not desirable because it limits the user's ability to choose another accessory. Some conventional designs may require the user to customize the mobile device or the accessory, which may require skills or tools average end users lack.